As the past 5 posts on Bangkok have probably demonstrated I think it is an awesome city. However, wierdly one of the best things about it is that it is easy to get out of.
For instance, you can jump into a cab, say the city “Trat” and 3 hours later of being driven at 2,000,000kmph by a buddhist taxi driver unconcerned with death arrive at Thailand’s southern coast. A 1 hour speedboat ride after that and you can be on the relatively undiscovered island of Koh Kood.
Now there are a couple of ways to stay on Koh Kood. We stayed in an eco friendly resort made out of reclaimed timber at about USD50 a night called Bann Makok. It was cute and unassuming.
You could also stay at Soneva Kiri by Six Senses. It costs USD5,000 to 10,000 a night. It has private beaches, butlers and golf carts to get around. It can also be invaded by kayak with 20 or so minutes hard paddling from Bann Makok.
Which means you get the smug feeling of paying USD50 a night but still being able to enjoy their beach which is an echo of perfection and then eating at their beach restaurant afterwards.
- Price – Bann Makok @ 50USD a night, Soneva Kiri @ USD5,000 a night or more
- Location – Koh Kood island, a hour by speedboat from the city of Trat
Tom/ Jen, your blog gets better and better! Enjoying the little side-trips as well as the honest appraisal of the HK food scene which too often values novelty and status over quality (in all areas not just the food). BTW have you tried Classified on Hollywood Road? I was impressed by the storming wine and cheese selection and that more than 50% of the punters consisted of supposedly cheese-llergic locals. Also had an almost narcotically good meal at Chili Fagara on Graham St. Thanks also for all the tips, I’m now thinking of taking a detour to Bann Makok when we hit HK in October. Which brings me to my point; what was the food like there and do you think it would be suitable for kids 12 and 5? Thanks
Thanks very much for the praise, you have made us turn red!
A friend of ours actually works for Classified so we do pop in now and then and make use of their cheese selection!
As for Bann Makok the food was remarkably good. Couldn’t make a complaint there. As for suitability for kids, I kind of suppose it depends on how you feel about them kayaking around etc. If I had gone there as a kid I would have been delighted to be in a place where you can kayak on a (very safe) estuary and then go up to the beach. But I guess some parents may be nervous? Still a great place for a short break!